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X Factor boss Simon Cowell has told Gary Barlow and his fellow judges they need to improve the show, asking the panel to step it up 10% every week. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Gary revealed how the show boss had given him, Tulisa, Kelly and Louis a stern talking to.

It comes after the show's ratings dipped to their lowest in three years, with more than two million fewer viewers watching this year's live shows compared to last October.

"We had a little drama this weekend," Gary explained. "The one thing [Simon] said is if you can work at the show and make it 10 per cent better each week, by the end of the series the show will be 50 per cent better.

"That is what we are trying to do this week. We are all upping our game, we have had a lot of safety."

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Gary revealed: "In fairness, I speak to Simon a lot and he has been very supportive of the new judging panel.

"He has got his own dramas going on over in the States."

The Take That star admitted he was expecting to hear from Simon, but at the start of the show rather than half way through the live finals!

He said: "This, what we have had this week, I was expecting to get at the start. This is about eight weeks later than I thought it would be.

"Here we are, we are still the number one show each weekend, we could do better. There is always room for improvement."

And in a bid to up the ante, in tonight's third live show the remaining 11 contestants will be singing rock songs.